What are You Reading?

I'm about half way through Rick Murcer's fourth "Manny Williams" novel, "Caribbean Rain." Great character development and plots that keep me engaged from the first page. The Island theme that rings through the entire series is just the thing for a long winter's night. What have you been reading as 2013 begins? We can all use a few good book suggestions from time to time.

"A pipe is the fountain of contemplation, the source of pleasure, the companion of the wise; and the man who smokes, thinks like a philosopher and acts like a Samaritan."
-Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton

Been going back to read classics I missed as a kid. Just finished The Call of the Wild, White Fang and Siddhartha and am starting Kim. Also just bought the second volume of the The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Good winter reading.

"Each of you be a light unto yourself; betake yourself to no external refuge. Hold fast to the Truth. Look not for refuge to anyone beside yourself." -The Buddha

+1 on the Holmes Irish! just finished the complete collection on my iphone and read the newest paperback, House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. id recommend it for sure! this guy did his homework and its a great read. the only problem is that its about 50-100 chapters too short, read it too quick :D. love Holmes!

@frtimmyd I hope you’ve read the Silmarillion, it’s the bible of LOTR series.

Currently reading for fun a book series I read 20 years ago, Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey.

Good reads if you’re looking are Dune by Frank Herbert, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein, 1984 by George Orwell and LOTR obviously.

Being a screenwriter I spend a good bit of each day reading, usually 1-3, 90-130 page scripts. They are from every genre, range from good to bad (mostly) and change through different drafts. In the last week I read about 20 of the movies up for Oscars. It’s a big part of the job, reading others scripts to learn, help someone else with their script, writing critiques and reviews. The most fun is seeing a movie from a script you read about 2 years before is, and seeing all the changes made on the set and the editing room. When you’re reading you always picture who would be playing a part, then get blown away when you see who plays the part.

Good examples:
Flight - never in a million years saw Denzel Washington playing the part. I can’t believe he even took the role, in the end it hurt a good movie. Why? Because it wasn’t “Training Day” or “Safe House” and that’s what people expect for him now.

Django - QT can and does anything he wants. He breaks all the rules of writing and filming. Scripts should be 100-120 pages but Django is 170 pages and its loaded pages, packed with description and dialogue. Then he makes huge changes as he films and edits it, in the end its signature Tarantino. Nobody writes like him, or makes a film like him.

Prometheus – Originally written as Alien Engineers. Great read, and totally bombed at the box office. They made massive changes and destroyed the movie. The proverbial “The book is better than the movie”.

“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government - lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.” Patrick Henry

"A serious yet diverting treatise on the history of the pipe and all it's appurtenances, as well as a factual withal philosophical discussion of the pleasurable art of selecting pipes, smoking and caring for them."

Just moved on the The Return of the King, been reading the trilogy over break. If I read a novel after this, it'll be Game of Thrones, but I'll be at school reading for classes so I may just stick to the Poe and Frost complete collections I got for Christmas.

"I don't want any of your statistics; I took your whole batch and lit my pipe with it." -Mark Twain

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of
anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life,
nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

I just started No Easy Day. It is the remarkable 1st person account of life on a US Navy SEAL team. Sometimes, we all need a small reminder of the strength and courage that created this Constitutional Republic, and the responsibilities that accompany life as an American.

I just started No Easy Day. It is the remarkable 1st person account of life on a US Navy SEAL team. Sometimes, we all need a small reminder of the strength and courage that created this Constitutional Republic, and the responsibilities that accompany life as an American.

My brother (ex-Ranger) just finished that and like it. I sent him a copy of "Argo". The author lives in our town. Both on deck in my Kindle.

The redhead is caught up on reading the Game of Thrones series. Now she's worried the author, G.R.R. Martin, is old and he may not live long enough to finish it all. I reminded her George is a year younger than I am ...

The last book I read is The King in the Window by Adam Gopnik, over the Holidays -- my grandson got it for Christmas.

My second time reading "Attending Marvels: A Patagonian Journal" by George Gaylord Simpson. I lived in Argentina in the early 80's and this book - written in the 30's - reinforces my love/hate relationship I have with that country.

@Al: My HS English teacher wife loves the post- Apocalyptic genre and "The Earth Abides" has stayed with me for a long time.

@burghbriar: Hang in there with "Moby Dick." It took me three, maybe four tries to get beyond the dreaded 250 page mark and then the greatest American novel ever written sucked me in and I became an able bodied seaman on the Pequod. I'm so glad I never quit trying.

@fnord Thanks, I do tend to go on about things, occupational habit. I love talking about the things I read, many are SO good and will never see the screen and that’s a shame. The reason is very simple… For every Transformer six (or whatever) or sequels past one they put out, three great movies could be made.

@ anthonyrosenthal You are going to LOVE the books, all 10,000+ pages of the series. By book five Fires of Heaven (980 pages) it really takes off. Lord of Chaos the next one is amazing. Hope you’re reading the hardbacks, save those eyes. It’s a fantastic massively character book series, and if you missed something go back and re-read the part it will matter later. The absolute shame is he died before the last book, but is being finished from his notes and is spread over 3 books (greed), last is just released. I’ll be waiting for the E-book to finish the 14 book series this summer. He always said he knew the ending before he started on the 17 year project.

JUST IF YOU’RE INTERESTED:
Robert Jordan the pen name for James Oliver Rigney, Jr. was an avid pipe smoker, in later years became a PIPE COLLECTOR. I have no idea where they went, was smoking cigars at the time, I would have loved to get some of them IF ANYONE HAS SOME? He lived in Charleston, died in 2007 and is buried at ST. JAMES Cemetery. I’m trying to get ahold of her through forums and the church she is now working at – Now that I’m into pipes, which I blame you guys, was enjoying the tobacco NOW I got to start collecting pipes! A pathetic journey to own the best ones you could possibly have *sigh*. There is a documentary, The Wit of the Staircase: The Life and Work of Robert Jordan that was to be released in December, but is going straight to DVD so hopefully we’ll see it by spring, my number two writer behind Tolkien.

Wheel of Time is the best series of fantasy books other than LOTR, in some ways better, but that’s another conversation. But not unless you’re ready to spend a year+ reading them. He also has an unpublished 98000 page book series Warriors of the Altaii he wrote before WoT. He also wrote 8 or so Conan books. And even a Western!
So again I go on and on, smoking nothing but St. James tonight.
Craig

Dragonslayer, I actually quit reading his books thinking he would die before he ever finished them. Of course I wasn't serious but I said that a few times. I decided I would wait until the series was finished and read them then so I would not have to wait forever between books... I hate that. I was saddened when I heard of his death, and overjoyed to hear that Sanderson was to take over the story. From what I understand, he and Jordan went over the plans together while Jordan was on his death bed. I need to pick up his Conan books as well. I've been a Conan fan since childhood. Speaking of Conan, it turns out they are finally making that "but that is another story" movie, with Arnold as King Conan.

I started reading Grapes of Wrath last week for about the 10th time and decided to hit the bookstore this afternoon to see what other Steinbeck books they had. I picked up East of Eden and haven't been able to put it down since I started it, but now I need a refill on the scotch and try to decide what I'm going to smoke

@ anthonyrosenthal When he first got sick he had posted that all his notes and HDDs were to be destroyed so nobody could finish it if he didn't get better. Later his wife Harriet McDougal, who edited his books, read some of Brandon Sanderson work and commented that it was darker than Jordan's style but would be a good fit. TOR books really had no choice but to agree. Jordan worked on the book really to the end with Sanderson. All the notes and outline had been finished, it was just the matter of filling in the details. I personally think Rigney would be pissed off that it got split into three books. That IMO was just greed on TOR's part and I'm kinda pissed that Harriet went along with it. She didn't need the money, and she knew he wouldn't have appoved of it. BUT it's done now and what a series it is!
If you got the time, it's got the mind expanding concept of fantasy.
Craig

Im reading White feather:Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper. What a read. If you havent read this book i would highly recommend it. I feel like im actually crawling thru the jungle with him. Gives me shivers

@dragonslayer I definitely have time. I always make sure I get a bit of reading in before I hit the sack at night, and sometimes during the day. I love the series so far, and I'm sure I'll love the rest. I'll be finished with book 5 soon.

@anthonyrosenthal Cool, get ready for Lord of Chaos, Rand is on the move, it really will test your mind on who the hell everyone is, and what they've done. I had to go back and check on some things in the earlier books to figure out what the hell he was writing about. lols
Craig

A few weeks ago I finished "The Devils of Loudon" by Aldous Huxley which was a fascinating read. Then tonight I finished up "Stranger in a Strange Land" for the first time since High School which I think was a great read despite its criticisms over the years. Heinlein really brought forth a lot of interesting ideas in that book and I am very fond of the story. Next I think Im gonna tackle "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo."

Currently I'm rereading Peter Chapsticks books. "Death in the Long grass", "Death in the Dark Continent", "Death in the silent places","Death in the Lonely Places" and "The man eaters of Tsovo". If your like hunting or Big game hunting check these out the guy was a way with words that almost lets yo taste the dust and smell the sweat.

I have some friends, some honest friends, and honest friends are few; My pipe of briar, my open fire, A book that's not too new.
Robert W. Service

"He is a living arsenal of weaponry for use against jerkwater hunters or preoccupied Africans, offering a Chinese menu choice on you shortcut to Glory of horns that can disembowel a locomotive, hooves like split mattock-heads, and up to a ton of bulk that can roll you into a fair resemblance of shaggy tollhouse cookie mix. What's more, if you cross him and get caught, he will display a singular lack of reluctance, regardless of race, color, or creed, to give you a nice, home demonstration of his talents. "

Reading book 4 of the George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (aka game of thrones series). Once I'm done with that I need to pick up the latest edition to the Wheel of Time by Sanderson. I just hope he finished up Jordan's masterpiece series.

Midwest Wood Creations
Be sure to check out Gecko13's handiwork when in the market for any of your pipe accessory needs such as tampers, cabinets, pipe racks etc.

Earth: The Insane Asylum of the Universe. Nowhere else could things be more messed up.
Does a culture based on separation and competition, of scientific sophistication and mideval religion, offer happiness even as it ravishes the Earth that sustains it?